Hard Bitten - Chloe Neill [114]
Mallory waved him off. “No, today’s fine. It’s going to be on the exam, so I might as well do it.”
“Oh, my God, you are Harry Potter,” I said, pointing a finger at her. “I knew it!”
She rolled her eyes, then looked at Catcher. “I guess I need to get cleaned up and go?”
Catcher frowned, clearly not comfortable sending Mallory off into the city with Simon. I couldn’t tell if the animus was all Order related or not.
Catcher looked at Simon. “Could you give us a minute?”
“Of course,” Simon said after a moment. “I’ll wait in the car. Jeff, nice to meet you. Merit, we’ll have to talk sometime. I’d love to hear more about Cadogan House.”
I gave him a noncommittal smile.
Simon walked out again. I looked back at Mallory and Catcher. “He seems pleasant enough.”
“He’s a member of the Order,” Catcher grimly said. “They’re always ‘pleasant enough’ until they’re calling you a troublemaker and stripping you of your membership.”
“Sounds like the Order and the GP have things in common,” I said.
Catcher grunted his agreement.
“Simon’s . . . okay,” Mallory said. “But speaking of the GP, you need to get out there and mix it up.” She reached out her arms, and I stepped forward into her hug. “Just like you told me,” she said, “you do what you have to do. You know right from wrong, and your instincts are good. Trust them.”
“And if I still can’t pull it off?”
She pulled back, her expression fierce. “There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it. You just have to decide that you can. You go and find Celina Desaulniers, and you kick her ass this time.”
Let’s hope it ended that way.
There was a limo parked outside the House when I returned, as well as the usual gaggle of protesters. I recognized two or three—the same protesters were camped out night after night, their hatred of us apparently taking priority over any other activities.
I figured the limo belonged to Tate or Darius, which didn’t thrill me. Neither was going to make my current task easier. I double-parked in front of the House and moved carefully inside, tiptoeing toward Ethan’s office.
No Ethan. But Malik stood in the middle of the room, reviewing papers. Darius was in the sitting area, chatting on a cell phone.
I smiled politely at Darius and walked toward Malik. His gaze lifted as I moved closer, and he must have noticed my frazzled expression. “What now?”
I slid my gaze toward Darius. “In light of the GP’s directive, I thought I’d take the evening off. Head to Street Fest. Meet some friends.”
Malik’s expression was blank only for a second before realization dawned.
“I thought I’d see if Ethan wants me to bring anything back. You know how much he loves greasy food. The man cannot get enough of battered and fried.”
Malik smiled slyly. “That he does, Sentinel. I believe you’ll find him in his apartment. He and Darius plan to meet in a few minutes, but perhaps I could entertain him while you discuss the menu?”
At my nod, Malik walked toward Darius. I headed for the door again. Darius must have ended his call, as I heard Malik ask, “Sire, have you had a chance to see the grounds? The gardens are spectacular in late summer.”
Good man, I thought, taking the stairs two at a time until I reached the third floor.
Ethan was just walking into the hallway when I reached him. Without bothering to ask permission, I moved past him into his bedroom. When I turned around again, he was still in the doorway, eyebrow arched.
“Malik is taking care of Darius. I need five minutes.”
“I have the distinct sense that I’m not going to enjoy those five minutes.”
“Quite possibly not.”
Either way, he walked inside and shut the door behind us, then crossed his arms over his chest.
“Tonight will be tricky,” I said.
“Because?”
“Because she may be wreaking havoc in a very public place.”
He dropped his arms, alarm in his expression. “How public?”
“Street Fest.”
Ethan closed his eyes for a moment. “Do we have defenses?”
“Yours truly.”
Ethan’s eyes flashed open. He opened his mouth to object, then closed it again.
“Wise decision,” I complimented,